As part of the Aquatic Plastic project, in which the Slovenian Water Institute is participating as a project partner, a citizen science initiative entitled ‘A Message in a Plastic Bottle’ is currently underway. The aim of this initiative is to encourage individuals, school pupils, sixth-formers, students and local communities to track the path of waste carried downstream by rivers.
Citizen science is a method of research and engagement with the interested public, in which individuals and interest groups who are not professional scientists participate in data collection and problem-solving. This approach is based on involving the wider public in scientific activities, thereby strengthening the link between scientific institutions, decision-makers and society.
It is estimated that over 80 per cent of marine litter enters the sea via rivers. To make a real contribution to solving the problem, we need to better understand how litter travels down rivers. This is where you can play a vital role! We invite you to join the scientific community and take part in tracking pollution with your ‘Message in a Bottle’. The project is co-funded by the European Union (ERDF, IPA, ENI).
If you’d like to play an active part in the fight against environmental pollution, please email us at uros.robic@izvrs.si with the subject line “I would like to take part”, and we will send you a pack containing all the information you need to get started.
The citizen science project “Message in a Plastic Bottle” was developed as a joint effort between Plastic Cup, BOKU University, the Slovenian Water Institute, the Erasmus+ Riversavers School Network project and the ICPDR, in accordance with the 10 principles of the ECSA. International coordinators: Sara Bohm – graphics and promotion (sara@petkupa.hu) Zsuzsanna Bitter – content and school networking (zsuzsanna@petkupa.hu) Attila D. Molnar – content development (attila@petkupa.hu), lead coordinator (aquaticplastic@petkupa.hu).
More about the project:
The Aquatic Plastic project’s citizen science activities website:
https://interreg-danube.eu/projects/aquatic-plastic/news/citizen-science-campaign
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/aquaticplastic
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/aqpla
#aqpla, #aquaticplastic
Name and contact details of your national coordinator:
Uroš Robič, uros.robic@izvrs.si
